Into the Void
by spygal44
Summary: Based upon Voyager's time in the Void. A girl is brought in by Q to help fixalter the space-time continuum and bring Janeway out of her guilt-ridden depression, while entertaining the crew.
1. Default Chapter

Harry Kim was sitting in the captain's chair, once again playing his Clarinet. He had reached the fourth movement of his melodious and haunting concerto, entitled Echoes Of The Void. Playing calmed him, and it wasn't like there was anything important going on that he might miss due to his distraction.  
  
There was a flash of light on the bridge, and Harry quickly put down his Clarinet to the side. Q appeared in front of him. Harry smiled.  
  
"Q, it's so good to see you! Come to provide us with a little welcomed distraction?"  
  
Q was a little startled. He'd never had such an enthusiastic welcome before, not on Voyager, not anywhere! He cleared his throat, hoping to cover his surprise, put on his game face, and said, boldly, "Mr. Kim, I am leaving you with the greatest gift you and the crew may ever know without knowing. Please take good care of her, as I find I am rather taken with her unusual handling of me. I am off."  
  
It was Harry's turn to be surprised. He hadn't expected anything like that. Then again what had he expected? He started to ask Q what was going on, but Q had already snapped his fingers. He was gone. In his place, however, was a girl. She stood there for a moment, blinking at him, before collapsing to the floor.  
  
His Starfleet training took over, and he knelt down over her, hitting his combadge. "Emergency Transport. Two to beam directly to sickbay!"  
  
***********  
  
She woke up slowly, in a strange, yet familiar place. It was Voyager's sickbay.  
  
"Ah, I see you're awake. Doctor to Commander Chakotay. Our guest is conscious."  
  
"Good. I'll be right there. Chakotay out."  
  
The Doctor turned back to face her. "Is there anything I can get you?" he asked.  
  
She coughed, then cleared her throat. "Yes. Could I have a glass of water, please?"  
  
"Most certainly." He went over and replicated her one.  
  
Commander Chakotay came in, followed by Commander Tuvok and Ensign Kim. "Report, Doctor."  
  
"Yes, Sir. The patient is in almost perfect health. She checks out okay, except for a few vitamin deficiencies. She is perhaps a little disoriented, so try not to excite her too much." He said.  
  
"I can hear you," she said, rather crossly. "Commander Chakotay, my name is Michelle. Q sent me." She said, holding out her hand.  
  
He took it, saying, "Excuse my lack of manners. It's very nice to meet you Michelle. I'm curious, how did you know my name?"  
  
She rolled her eyes. "As you can see, I understand you perfectly. When I awoke, I heard the Doctor call you, so I would have figured it out then, even if I hadn't already known your name. May I please see the Captain? She ought to find this very interesting, it dealing with Q and time-travel and such." She smiled sweetly.  
  
Chakotay looked pained. "I'm sorry, but our Captain is not available at this time. I'm the first officer on this ship. Perhaps I can be of help?"  
  
She smiled slightly, but nodded her head no. "I'm not sure that would be a very good idea. From what Q told me, who, I'm sure you can imagine, was spare on details, I'm from an alternate universe. This is going to sound really, really weird, but in my world, well, suffice it to say your 'story', so to speak, is chronicled for everyone to see. And, so I guess, I know your future. I think it would be a bad idea to start spreading it around and everything, it might mess up the space-time continuum, so I think I should only talk to the Captain."  
  
The four of them looked at her like she was crazy. The Doctor reopened his medical tricorder and scanned her again. "Nope. No head injuries of any kind."  
  
She tried again. "Just let me talk to the Captain. I can explain it all to her." They didn't look ready to budge, so she tried another tactic. "Commander Tuvok. I know this all sounds very, very illogical, but look at the past. When you really think about it, in comparison to all of the other time travel the crew has done, it's not that different. Harry, like that time you woke up and you were in an alternate reality on Earth. Remember? Or the time Voyager got duplicated with the Vidian attack? And you've all been to the 20th century yourselves! When you went back to Los Angeles chasing the Chrono-ship? Or what about what happened with the Krenim? They could control time. And I already told you that Q is involved. Think about all the stuff he can do! Please, you have to believe me. I'm telling the truth!"  
  
The Voyager crewmembers eyed each other warily. "Sir, I really don't see how she could know all that." Harry said.  
  
Tuvok was more cautious. "Do not be quick to jump to conclusions Mr. Kim. She could be a Q, some sort of telepathic alien, have intercepted some sort of Voyager communication."  
  
"Or, I could be exactly what I claim to be." She finished, interrupting him.  
  
At that moment, the computer beeped, signaling it had finished.something. "Good. Just what' I've been waiting for. The results of this test should help to confirm or deny Michelle's story." Explained the Doctor. "I've been running a full diagnostic on her clothes and body to see if I can determine any sort of evidence regarding her supposed temporal displacement. Let's see what it says." He moved over to the console and called up the information. "Fascinating." The Doctor mused. "Simply fascinating."  
  
"What is it doctor?"  
  
"Well, according to these test results, she is from another time. But, even better, there are also some anomalous readings that could indicate she is from an alternate universe. These readings are similar in nature to some of the ones I observed on Mr. Kim when he returned from his side trip to an alternate reality. Simply fascinating."  
  
She rolled her eyes and flopped her head back down on the pillow. "Are we finished yet?"  
  
Chakotay looked questioningly at Tuvok. "Mr. Tuvok?"  
  
"She does not appear to pose any kind of threat to the ship, Commander." He said, neutrally. "Good to hear it. If you finished Doctor?" The Doctor nodded his consent. "It's settled then. Mr. Kim."  
  
"Yes, sir?"  
  
"Please escort our guest to some quarters and help her get settled in."  
  
*************  
  
"I can't believe you guys can find your way around these hallways. They are so totally nondescript!" She exclaimed.  
  
Harry laughed. "You get used to it. I memorized the ship schematics before I came on board. I was so excited and tightly wound when I first came aboard, the Captain told me."  
  
"She told you 'At ease, Ensign, before you sprain something.' Yeah, I know."  
  
He gave her a funny look. "How did you know that?"  
  
"It was on the show."  
  
"The show?"  
  
"Yeah, back in my universe, you guys were a television show, meant for entertainment. It wasn't real. You were all played by actors, and everything was produced. I used to love that show. It was my favorite Star Trek show."  
  
"So, somehow, we are living out what you saw on TV?"  
  
"Yep, apparently. At least according to Q, although I got the feeling he was leaving a lot out of it. Anyway, you know that theory about there being multiple realities?" He nodded his head. "Well, apparently Q brought me from one, and stuck me in this one. He told me that thus far, the first four years of your time in the Delta Quadrant had matched very closely with the TV show from my reality. How exactly, he wouldn't tell me. Now, however, something went wrong. On the show, you guys get out of the Void after just two months in it. Somehow, something that happens as a result of your not making that exit, leads to, well, something bad happening, somewhere down the road. He wouldn't give me exact details. That causes something else, which somehow messes up the Q continuum. So, here I am."  
  
"You'll have to forgive me if I say that doesn't make a whole lot of sense."  
  
"Yeah, I don't really think it does either. I mean, what could a 20th century 16 year-old do on an advanced Starship to somehow change everyone's destiny?"  
  
"I don't know. You said this show of yours had seasons. How many of them were there?"  
  
"Seven, culminating in, well, I probably shouldn't tell you. This whole thing is just one big paradox to me. How do I know that something I do doesn't cause the accident in the first place or that what I say or even, what I don't say, won't mess up the future somehow?"  
  
They had arrived at their destination. Michelle was glad for a change of subject. Talking about all this time travel stuff made her head spin. Harry keyed a code into the door, and it opened for them.  
  
"You'll need to alter the locking code after I've left. Just instruct the computer to change it to whatever you want your new code to be."  
  
"Okay, thanks." She smiled warmly at him.  
  
"Um, I didn't show you where the mess hall was. Do you want me to pick you up for breakfast?"  
  
"Sure. I'd love that. What time?"  
  
"Um, how about 7:45 hours?"  
  
"Sure. Sounds good. Thanks Harry." She walked into her new quarters, the doors sliding shut behind her. Harry walked down the hallway with a slight spring in his step. This was going to be interesting. 


	2. The unknown gift

Harry Kim was sitting in the captain's chair, once again playing his Clarinet. He had reached the fourth movement of his melodious and haunting concerto, entitled Echoes Of The Void. Playing calmed him, and it wasn't like there was anything important going on that he might miss due to his distraction.  
  
There was a flash of light on the bridge, and Harry quickly put down his Clarinet to the side. Q appeared in front of him. Harry smiled.  
  
"Q, it's so good to see you! Come to provide us with a little welcomed distraction?"  
  
Q was a little startled. He'd never had such an enthusiastic welcome before, not on Voyager, not anywhere! He cleared his throat, hoping to cover his surprise, put on his game face, and said, boldly, "Mr. Kim, I am leaving you with the greatest gift you and the crew may ever know without knowing. Please take good care of her, as I find I am rather taken with her unusual handling of me. I am off."  
  
It was Harry's turn to be surprised. He hadn't expected anything like that. Then again what had he expected? He started to ask Q what was going on, but Q had already snapped his fingers. He was gone. In his place, however, was a girl. She stood there for a moment, blinking at him, before collapsing to the floor.  
  
His Starfleet training took over, and he knelt down over her, hitting his combadge. "Emergency Transport. Two to beam directly to sickbay!"  
  
***********  
  
She woke up slowly, in a strange, yet familiar place. It was Voyager's sickbay.  
  
"Ah, I see you're awake. Doctor to Commander Chakotay. Our guest is conscious."  
  
"Good. I'll be right there. Chakotay out."  
  
The Doctor turned back to face her. "Is there anything I can get you?" he asked.  
  
She coughed, then cleared her throat. "Yes. Could I have a glass of water, please?"  
  
"Most certainly." He went over and replicated her one.  
  
Commander Chakotay came in, followed by Commander Tuvok and Ensign Kim. "Report, Doctor."  
  
"Yes, Sir. The patient is in almost perfect health. She checks out okay, except for a few vitamin deficiencies. She is perhaps a little disoriented, so try not to excite her too much." He said.  
  
"I can hear you," she said, rather crossly. "Commander Chakotay, my name is Michelle. Q sent me." She said, holding out her hand.  
  
He took it, saying, "Excuse my lack of manners. It's very nice to meet you Michelle. I'm curious, how did you know my name?"  
  
She rolled her eyes. "As you can see, I understand you perfectly. When I awoke, I heard the Doctor call you, so I would have figured it out then, even if I hadn't already known your name. May I please see the Captain? She ought to find this very interesting, it dealing with Q and time-travel and such." She smiled sweetly.  
  
Chakotay looked pained. "I'm sorry, but our Captain is not available at this time. I'm the first officer on this ship. Perhaps I can be of help?"  
  
She smiled slightly, but nodded her head no. "I'm not sure that would be a very good idea. From what Q told me, who, I'm sure you can imagine, was spare on details, I'm from an alternate universe. This is going to sound really, really weird, but in my world, well, suffice it to say your 'story', so to speak, is chronicled for everyone to see. And, so I guess, I know your future. I think it would be a bad idea to start spreading it around and everything, it might mess up the space-time continuum, so I think I should only talk to the Captain."  
  
The four of them looked at her like she was crazy. The Doctor reopened his medical tricorder and scanned her again. "Nope. No head injuries of any kind."  
  
She tried again. "Just let me talk to the Captain. I can explain it all to her." They didn't look ready to budge, so she tried another tactic. "Commander Tuvok. I know this all sounds very, very illogical, but look at the past. When you really think about it, in comparison to all of the other time travel the crew has done, it's not that different. Harry, like that time you woke up and you were in an alternate reality on Earth. Remember? Or the time Voyager got duplicated with the Vidian attack? And you've all been to the 20th century yourselves! When you went back to Los Angeles chasing the Chrono-ship? Or what about what happened with the Krenim? They could control time. And I already told you that Q is involved. Think about all the stuff he can do! Please, you have to believe me. I'm telling the truth!"  
  
The Voyager crewmembers eyed each other warily. "Sir, I really don't see how she could know all that." Harry said.  
  
Tuvok was more cautious. "Do not be quick to jump to conclusions Mr. Kim. She could be a Q, some sort of telepathic alien, have intercepted some sort of Voyager communication."  
  
"Or, I could be exactly what I claim to be." She finished, interrupting him.  
  
At that moment, the computer beeped, signaling it had finished.something. "Good. Just what' I've been waiting for. The results of this test should help to confirm or deny Michelle's story." Explained the Doctor. "I've been running a full diagnostic on her clothes and body to see if I can determine any sort of evidence regarding her supposed temporal displacement. Let's see what it says." He moved over to the console and called up the information. "Fascinating." The Doctor mused. "Simply fascinating."  
  
"What is it doctor?"  
  
"Well, according to these test results, she is from another time. But, even better, there are also some anomalous readings that could indicate she is from an alternate universe. These readings are similar in nature to some of the ones I observed on Mr. Kim when he returned from his side trip to an alternate reality. Simply fascinating."  
  
She rolled her eyes and flopped her head back down on the pillow. "Are we finished yet?"  
  
Chakotay looked questioningly at Tuvok. "Mr. Tuvok?"  
  
"She does not appear to pose any kind of threat to the ship, Commander." He said, neutrally. "Good to hear it. If you finished Doctor?" The Doctor nodded his consent. "It's settled then. Mr. Kim."  
  
"Yes, sir?"  
  
"Please escort our guest to some quarters and help her get settled in."  
  
*************  
  
"I can't believe you guys can find your way around these hallways. They are so totally nondescript!" She exclaimed.  
  
Harry laughed. "You get used to it. I memorized the ship schematics before I came on board. I was so excited and tightly wound when I first came aboard, the Captain told me."  
  
"She told you 'At ease, Ensign, before you sprain something.' Yeah, I know."  
  
He gave her a funny look. "How did you know that?"  
  
"It was on the show."  
  
"The show?"  
  
"Yeah, back in my universe, you guys were a television show, meant for entertainment. It wasn't real. You were all played by actors, and everything was produced. I used to love that show. It was my favorite Star Trek show."  
  
"So, somehow, we are living out what you saw on TV?"  
  
"Yep, apparently. At least according to Q, although I got the feeling he was leaving a lot out of it. Anyway, you know that theory about there being multiple realities?" He nodded his head. "Well, apparently Q brought me from one, and stuck me in this one. He told me that thus far, the first four years of your time in the Delta Quadrant had matched very closely with the TV show from my reality. How exactly, he wouldn't tell me. Now, however, something went wrong. On the show, you guys get out of the Void after just two months in it. Somehow, something that happens as a result of your not making that exit, leads to, well, something bad happening, somewhere down the road. He wouldn't give me exact details. That causes something else, which somehow messes up the Q continuum. So, here I am."  
  
"You'll have to forgive me if I say that doesn't make a whole lot of sense."  
  
"Yeah, I don't really think it does either. I mean, what could a 20th century 16 year-old do on an advanced Starship to somehow change everyone's destiny?"  
  
"I don't know. You said this show of yours had seasons. How many of them were there?"  
  
"Seven, culminating in, well, I probably shouldn't tell you. This whole thing is just one big paradox to me. How do I know that something I do doesn't cause the accident in the first place or that what I say or even, what I don't say, won't mess up the future somehow?"  
  
They had arrived at their destination. Michelle was glad for a change of subject. Talking about all this time travel stuff made her head spin. Harry keyed a code into the door, and it opened for them.  
  
"You'll need to alter the locking code after I've left. Just instruct the computer to change it to whatever you want your new code to be."  
  
"Okay, thanks." She smiled warmly at him.  
  
"Um, I didn't show you where the mess hall was. Do you want me to pick you up for breakfast?"  
  
"Sure. I'd love that. What time?"  
  
"Um, how about 7:45 hours?"  
  
"Sure. Sounds good. Thanks Harry." She walked into her new quarters, the doors sliding shut behind her. Harry walked down the hallway with a slight spring in his step. This was going to be interesting. 


End file.
